s/o camping food and cooking, help me plan...

[bettyandbob]

So, I usually do extremely little in the way of cooking while camping. Lately, camping has been a financial choice to afford little trips like the one I have planned to the beach next weekend. 

 

But maybe I should do more. Next weekend I've got a site with electric and water. We (me, dd19 and ds15) plan to stay 4 nights. I can bring an electric griddle. What meals should someone who has been extremely averse to cooking while camping try? In the past we have eaten a lot of cut up fruits and veggies, cheese, some cooked ahead chicken breast, tuna, peanut butter, gf crackers and bread, yogurt. I have boiled water on an old backpackers stove and made oatmeal. Everything else was uncooked or precooked, precut up and kept in an ice chest.

 

We usually only stay two nights, but with 4 nights I thought maybe I'll do more...

 

The state park is very close to a densely populated area with a range of grocery (regular, upscale, organic). All food must be gluten free.  So, with an ice chest, electric griddle and a good range of grocery options

 

1.  what easy things should I try to prepare

 

2. what do I need to remember to pack to make cleaning up easy?

 

 

[AK_Mom4]

I think gluten free pancakes might be a good dinner. Easy to do on the electric griddle and clean up is easy (one bowl). We often do breakfast for dinner when camping.

 

Quesadillas on gf tortillas would be easy and no clean up beyond wiping the griddle.

[zoobie]

What about a crock pot? You could do baked potatoes and bring canned GF chili, cheese, etc. You can also make and freeze things ahead and reheat in the crock pot. We don't camp, but I do that when we go to the beach and stay in a condo. I usually make pulled pork because the leftovers can be used on baked potatoes, in sandwiches, as nachos/tacos/quesadillas, etc. Chili is another flexible and frozen/reheat friendly option. You could use the leftovers on baked potatoes.

 

I freeze it flat in ziplocs, but if you want it to stay frozen longer, do it in a bowl that fits inside your crock. Line the bowl with a ziploc, then cut/rip the bag to dump in the pot to reheat.

[fdrinca]

I dislike campsite cooking because cleanup is always such a pain. We like to do meals that we can cook over the campfire that require very little cleanup, like grilled proteins and veggies. Since we end up snacking a lot more during the days while we are camping, I like to bring a variety of healthy treats and then something very simple for dinner, like soup that requires reheating. 

[KungFuPanda]

I think a camp stove makes life soooo Much easier. They're not expensive and they're easy to pack. Then you take one pot and one pan and you can cook almost anything in those. One easy, hearty meal it to sump a jar of sauce and a bag of meatballs,or precooked meat, into a pot. When that's hot, add some noodles that you precooked at home. Bring a jar of that powdery shelf table Parmesan and you have a hearty meal.

 

Packet meals is another good one. Cut chicken into cubes and add marinade and seasoning and onions or garlic to the bag. Freeze it. (It'll serve as an ice pack in your cooler.) Take foil to camp and put some veggies on a large rectangle of foil. Top with chicken and heat over the fire coals. Camping is the only time I used canned, sliced potatoes. They're easy for packets or frying with breakfast. If you don't like potatoes, when the chicken is just cooked through, throw some cous cous in and reseal until it's cooked. Bring salt, pepper,and hot sauce along. Don't forget the can opener.

 

Breakfast burritos are easy. Bring eggs (per scrambled in a container) a bag of Jimmy deans breakfast scrambles, and some cheese and tortillas. Filling and fast.

 

Cheese, crackers, fruit, and cured meats or smoked salmon or oysters is an easy meal.

 

Boxed Velveeta mac n cheese and hot dogs (or smoked sausages) roasted on a stick served with carrot sticks is super easy.

 

A cooked ham and some potatoes can be with any meal. Ditto for bananas, apples, or oranges. Cereal is easy to.

 

Let your kids make football pudding. Dump instant pudding ingredients into a plastic screw top jar or two plastic bags with the outer one duct taped and let them toss it back and forth until pudding is made.

 

I think you can do canned biscuits or cinnamon rolls on a stick.

 

Any type of chili or stew or soup that you make at home will easily reheat at camp.

 

Cheesesteaks are hearty and cook quickly at camp.

 

Curries and precooked rice reheat easily on a stove or in a packet.

[DawnM]

We have done simple.

 

Foil meals (pre-cooked sausage, cut up potatoes, corn, seasoning) on embers until fully cooked.

 

Hot dogs on a stick and s'mores for dessert.

 

Grilled burgers/steak/chicken

 

We do have a Lodge pan and have used it but it is a pain to clean.

 

Breakfast:  Go to is oatmeal packets and boiled water.

Edited May 21, 2017 by DawnM